


Summer Solstice

by teapotpourri



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Nanny, Blow Jobs, Famous Harry, Fluff, Kid Fic, Liam is not a lot in this tbh sorry, M/M, Minor Character Death, Ordinary Louis, and I think you can guess who when you read the summary, both Perrie and Gemma are only mentioned, neither is Josh, therefore the Zerrie obviously isn't really present either, well that takes place before the story sets in
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-27
Updated: 2014-06-27
Packaged: 2018-02-05 02:50:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1802629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teapotpourri/pseuds/teapotpourri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a tragic accident, twenty-two year old indie popstar, Harry Styles, is left to take care of his niece Lydia. When yet another nanny quits on him, Harry is desperate - desperate enough to hire Zayn’s best mate, Louis. Surprisingly, Louis turns out to be quite the miracle worker - for Lydia, and for Harry himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Summer Solstice

**Author's Note:**

  * For [togetherwecouldbealright](https://archiveofourown.org/users/togetherwecouldbealright/gifts).



 

 

_**The summer solstice occurs when the tilt of a planet's semi-axis, in either the northern or the southern hemisphere, is most inclined toward the star [...] that it orbits.[x](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_solstice)** _

__

“Take it from the top again, Niall,” Harry taps his foot, “One, two, three, four!”

Niall takes up the cue and starts plucking at the strings with his head bowed over his guitar, his left hand sliding over the neck in quick succession. Harry nods along to the beat filling up the studio and then raises his hand to bring in Josh and Liam. Josh lets his stick fly, alternating between hitting the hi-hat and the snare drum. With his bass strap slung around his neck, Liam lets himself melt into the music, easily picking up Niall’s lead.

 

“No, no! Stop!” Harry exclaims just a few seconds into the song. He crumples the sheet music into a ball and throws it at Niall’s head, missing it by just a few centimeters. “This sounds exactly like Boots! Ripping off our own songs, god help us.”

Harry is about to run out of steam. They’ve been at the studio for days already and still haven’t got more than a few simple chord sequences for the new album. The room is too stuffy, smelling a bit like rosin from the string quintet that was in the studio just before them, and the paper bin is already overflowing with Harry's abandoned ideas.

Niall lets go of his guitar so that it dangles loosely around his body. “Should I go for a coffee run, H?” Niall asks, frowning. He is worried about his friend, who looks like he hasn’t slept in weeks - which he most probably hasn’t. Niall knows that there are dark circles under his own eyes from trying to write a good song so that they could finally break ground and set the ball rolling. People always said that the third album was the hardest, but he had never imagined that it would be such hard work - not even with everything Harry has been going through.

Harry rubs his eyes and looks up from his scribbling, completely ignoring Niall’s question. “I liked that intro though, Niall. Maybe we should simplify it more and let Liam do the build-up - and Josh, how about picking up the tempo a bit? Like this.” Harry pulls his guitar into his lap and drums his fingers against the body.

Josh is just about to pick up the beat when they hear the first notes of Coldplay’s Clocks coming from Harry’s jeans pocket. “Sorry,” Harry gets up, fishes his phone out of his pocket and growls at the flashing screen.

‘Emily’.

“I gotta take this, just… go for it, Josh!” And with that he stumbles out of the room, shutting the door behind him before pressing the green button on his phone display.

“Everything alright, Emily?” He asks nervously. Lydia’s nanny calling him is never a good sign. Especially not when it’s the third time this week.   
_“She just won’t eat. I honestly don’t know what to do anymore. I have tried everything.”_ Emily sounds defeated and apologetic at the same time. Harry sighs loudly. His head falls back against the wall, and he lets himself sink to the floor. This was just what he needed - another nanny quitting on him.

“You gonna quit?” he asks, getting straight to the point.

_“I’m really sorry, Mr Styles. I know that she is seeing the child psychologist already and she really is a tough little girl but I don’t feel like I’m contributing to her well-being. She rejects me.”_

 

This is the third nanny to give up on Lydia in three months. Harry can feel the exhaustion weighing him down - he postponed writing the album, he hasn’t been on stage with Escape Velocity for months now, and at night when he sees Gemma in his dreams, holding Lydia and dancing with her in the mild autumn sun, he wakes up feeling like he is choking on the air in his bedroom. After the car accident, his mum took care of Lydia but then his grandpa got sick and even though Harry can afford both any nanny and any nursing home in the world, he can’t just give them up. So back in mid-March Liam had helped him to paint one of his guest rooms and put up a bed, a small desk and a chest of drawers for his four year old niece.

 

“I understand,” Harry says, “I’ll be home in an hour and I’m sure we can come to an agreement then.”   
_“Of course, Mr Styles. I’m really terribly sorry.”_

 

And of course she’s sorry; but not as sorry as Harry is feeling for himself right now. He hadn’t even wanted a nanny for Lydia in the first place. He tried the most expensive kindergarten in London, and brought her into the studio more often than not, but she was either full of energy, jumping around and begging Harry to skip with her, or she just sat in the corner, staring at her hands for hours. Dr. Wright said that she had trouble expressing her grief and didn’t feel safe anymore in a world that took her parents away. Harry’s main job was to make her feel safe again, to give her time and love, and to let her know that it was okay to be sad. The first time he took her out to the studio had disillusioned him completely. They had been surrounded by paps as soon as they reached the studio, and he’d desperately triedto shield her from the flashing lights and pushing bodies. When Preston finally managed to get him through the gate, Harry had felt like crying. He was only 22 years old and the singer of a famous indie pop band, how was he supposed to take care of a little girl who had just lost her parents?

 

Sighing, Harry goes back into the studio. He doesn’t need many words to explain the situation. This had happened before after all. “Just take the rest of the week off, Harry,” Niall says, hugging him so tight that Harry has trouble breathing, “We can do this on our own. I’m just gonna come around to your house after we’re done. And you know you can call day or night. Okay, H?”   
Niall’s overwhelming compassion and love has always been something he could count on and there has never been a time when he has needed it more than these past few months. “Thank you,” he mumbles into Niall’s neck before disentangling himself and crawling into Josh’s and Liam’s arms.  
“And don’t worry about the deadline, Harry. I’m sure they’ll understand,” Liam assures him, and Harry wishes he could stay in their arms for a little bit longer.

 

*

 

After Emily has left, Harry sits down in front of the TV to watch What’s new Scooby Doo with Lydia. She hasn’t said a word since he has gotten home but now she is blinking up at him and asking softly, “Are you okay, uncle Harry?”  
He forces a smile onto his lips and ruffles her thin light brown hair, “Of course, kiddo. Just had a rough day.” Sometimes it’s still hard to look into those hazel eyes, which are just as wide and curious as Gemma’s. But Harry doesn’t want her to be a reminder of how Gemma isn’t there anymore. When Gemma had Lydia, Harry had never seen anyone as happy as she had been. Picturing her overjoyed face now, he promises to protect Lydia until the sun and moon collided.

“Are we gonna need a new nanny now?” She whispers, nervously rubbing her little thumbs together. Harry takes her in his arms and lets her cuddle tightly into his side. “Yes, I think so. But it’s not your fault, darling.” He runs his fingers through her hair, and gently tucks a loose strand behind her ear. She nods drowsily and focuses back on the telly where Scooby Doo, being chased by an evil ghost, is falling down a flight of stairs.

Harry’s phone vibrates on the coffee table and Harry doesn’t need to look down at the screen to know who is calling.

“Zayn?”

_“Sup mate? You alright?”_

“Emily quit on me.” Harry stands up and walks over to the dining area.

_“Oh. I’m sorry. That’s shit.”_

“Mh yeah. So it doesn’t look like I’ll be able to make it tonight.”

_“Well. Are you sure? I mean - Perrie could look after her. Last time went pretty well.”_

“I can’t expect Perrie just to jump in and help out all the time.”

_“I promise you that she wants to. Actually, uh, having her over is really good practice.”_

Harry is stunned. “Wait- what?”

Zayn giggles at the other end of the line, _“Yeah, man. It’s been nine weeks now actually.”_

“Oh my god, are you kidding me? This is the best news ever!” Harry exclaims excitedly. He catches Lydia’s questioning frown, and whispers to her, “Zayn and Perrie are having a baby!” Lydia’s smile is unsure, but it’s still a smile, and it’s the best thing Harry’s seen in weeks.

_“So do we have a deal?”_

“Yes, alright. We’ve gotta celebrate you becoming a daddy after all, don’t we?” Harry beams and Zayn laughs happily, _“Sure mate. We’ll come over at around 7 then?”_   
“Sure! Love you!”

Harry can’t keep the smile off his face. Good things happen in bad times too.   
Zayn is a lucky bastard. After he dropped out of university to pursue his modelling career, he  traveled the world and got engaged to his high school girlfriend. Along the way he’d met Harry backstage at one of his gigs and he is now one of Harry’s closest friends within the entertainment industry.

  
  
*

 

“Cheers, daddy Malik!”   
Laughing, they clink their pints in Harry’s favourite Irish pub. Or rather Niall’s favourite since Harry has never been very picky about pubs. In high spirits, Harry had manages to push his troubles aside a little bit. They chat about how excited Zayn’s mum was when he told her last week and how his dad almost dropped the stack of plates he was holding.  
But then Zayn slyly mentions not wanting to travel as much anymore because he wants to be there for Perrie and then the baby as well. Zayn always does this. First, he checks on Harry with light conversation. And then he cuts right through the surface of pretending. “What are you planning to do now without Emily, H?”  
Harry runs his index run over the rim of his glass and mumbles, “I don’t really know, Zee. It seems like nothing works. All the nannies I hired were professionals - like they have being doing this for a living for years - but it’s just not working? I don’t really understand it, because Lydia is such a sweet child, and yes, I know she can be a little difficult, but like, I think she trusts me and she’s been okay with Niall, and you and Perrie. And she only blanked out Liam once.”

Zayn nods slowly and takes another sip from his pint, before he reaches over the table and takes Harry’s shaking hands into his.   
“Okay,” he takes a deep breath and looks Harry straight into the eyes, “This may sound like a really crazy idea, but you know Louis - my best mate from uni?”   
Harry nods slowly, confused about where Zayn is going with this.

“So, Louis’ in his last semester and he’s been writing his Master’s thesis all summer, but he mostly writes at night and he seriously needs some cash right now. I helped him cover his rent last month but he can’t find another job since that cafe he worked at closed.”

“Uh- okay?” Harry stutters, hesitating. He has never actually met Louis. Zayn and Harry have known each other for about a year now, but they both travel a lot and so much has been happening with Harry’s family, that he hasn’t yet had a chance to meet Zayn’s best mate. But Harry has seen pictures of Louis; drunk and smiling brightly at the camera at a campus party at UEL, skating along the Thames and camping at Leeds festival, and he remembers the blinding smile, those arched eyebrows, the stubble and the wild fluffy hair.

“So obviously Louis is no professional, but he’s got enough time, needs the money and he is really great with kids. He actually has six younger siblings - the youngest set only a few months old. I know that this may sound risky or at least unconventional but…”

“Honestly, at this point I’m willing to try pretty much anything”, Harry interrupts him, having already made up his mind, “It’s worth a try, yeah?”  
Zayn beams at him and immediately scribbles a number on his beer mat, “Call him.”

 

Only two days later the doorbell rings and Harry rushes down the stairs, his hair still wet from the shower. He hurriedly tugs up the zipper on his jeans, before opening the door with a big smile on his face, “Hi! Come in, come in.” Fumbling with his shirt, he lets Louis slip through the door.   
“Hi mate,” Louis smiles back at him.

The blurry photos Harry has seen do Louis no justice. He is wearing tight black skinny jeans, rolled up a little bit so that Harry can see his bare ankles. Tattered vans, a loose denim jacket and a Joy Division shirt complete his outfit. He is a little bit smaller than Harry (but if Harry wore his favourite pair of boots he would look a lot taller) and his soft hair sticks up in all directions when Louis pulls his red beanie (in June!) from his head. Giving Harry a curious once over, Louis’ deep blue eyes crinkle in amusement.   
“So you are the famous Harry Styles?” Louis raises his eyebrows mockingly.   
“I am, I guess. ‘s nice to meet you, finally!” Harry looks down at his socks and notices a hole by his big toe. Flushing, he tries to hide it behind his left foot and pulls out a pair of slippers from the cupboard.

“Since you have no socks,” he mumbles when he gives them to Louis. Louis’ laugh is delightful and Harry can feel the ice breaking already.

“Well it’s not like I don’t own any. Just don’t like to wear them much, to be honest.” He slips out of his Vans, puts them neatly beside the shoe rack and slips into the slippers, before he looks back up at Harry.“Alrighty. Where’s the little monster?”

 

Harry shows Louis around the house, telling him all about Lydia’s favourite cereal, the music she dances to, the cartoons she likes to watch and the places she hides when she feels unsafe. He shows him where he can find food, plasters, pencils and all of Lydia’s toys.

When they get to Lydia’s bedroom she proudly opens one of the drawers herself, picks out a bright green t-shirt and beams, “This is my favourite! Mummy bought it for me!”  
“Oh, that is really pretty.” Louis goes to kneel in front of her so he can look the little girl into the eyes, appreciatively letting the fabric of the shirt run through his fingers. “When I was a little boy my mum always bought me superman-blue shirts. So, you can be a little Green Lantern!”   
Lydia looks at him in awe and whispers, “Yes, I’d like that.”

 

Louis smiles at her softly and sets the t-shirt back into the drawer, “This world needs us superheroes to protect it, hm, Lydia? Who do you reckon’ Harold here is?” Louis shoots a quick teasing grin at Harry, who is already hopelessly endeared.   
Lydia giggles brightly, “Harold! I like that.”   
Harry rolls his eyes in affection, “Oh deary me. My superhero name is Harold.”   
Lydia jumps excitedly and claps her hands, “And you’re gonna have wings! Like those birds on your chest!”   
If Harry hadn’t been so engrossed by a happy Lydia, he would have noticed Louis staring at his chest. Louis can only make out the tops of the wings of the two swallows, but there are more tattoos peeking out of shirt - practically his whole arm is inked with little scribblings, a boat and a rose, and Louis only manages to tear his eyes away from Harry, when Lydia suddenly runs past him, shouting, “I’m gonna draw us!”

 

Harry has decided to spend the first three days with Louis and Lydia, since Niall won’t actually let him go back to the studio just yet anyway, and Louis is still practically a stranger - even though it doesn’t really feel like it. It’s almost scary how fast Lydia has grown not only accustomed to his presence as he races her to the park and sits opposite to her around the dinner table, but comfortable enough that she also lets him pour her a bowl of cornflakes and lace up her small Converse. She lets him push her swing in the park, asks him to build their superhero fortress in the sandpit and when she contently shows him her picture of them as superheroes - a blue and a black winged creature holding the hands of a little green girl, defending her with two large swords - Louis immediately puts it on the fridge, claiming it’ll sell for a fortune one day.

 

On the second day, Louis arrives out of breath and wet from head to toe. “Bloody rain,” he curses as soon as he is through the door, immediately stripping off his jacket and shoes.   
“You wanna borrow a pair of joggers?” Harry asks hesitantly, distracted by a rain drop running down Louis’ cheekbone. His caramel hair is almost plastered to his head. The bus station isn’t really that far from Harry’s house but it is pouring like someone accidentally tipped over a huge bucket filled with a month’s worth of rain.   
“That’d be great, thanks Harry,” Louis slips into his slippers and follows Harry upstairs into his bedroom.

Louis hadn’t been there the day before, and Harry feels a little wary because his bed is still unmade and it’s been a while since he did his laundry. “Don’t fret about it. You’ve gotta see my place. It’s a tip,” Louis laughs when he notices the blush creeping up Harry’s cheeks.   
“Eh yeah, sorry anyway.” He opens the door at the end of the room and walks into his wardrobe.

“Of course you would have a walk-in wardrobe!” Louis say mockingly, but he still admires the the racks filled with plaid flannel shirts, black skinny jeans, band shirts and boots as far as the eye could see, “Like I was actually convinced that your place would be a lot posher, but until now it was actually quite alright.”  
Harry stands on his toes to reach for a pair of Nike joggers he bought a few years ago. “Didn’t you see my shower yesterday? It’s paradise,” Harry grins back and gives Louis the pair of joggers. “You can use the bathroom,” he stutters when Louis moves to unbutton his jeans right then and there.   
Louis’ eyes widen almost comically, “Oh shit, yeah sorry. I’m literally so dumb sometimes. I’m your employee and here I am stripping in front of you. Jesus!”

The warm tint flushing his cheeks makes Harry’s chest tingle in ways it definitely shouldn’t. So he just nods and Louis rushes out, clutching the joggers to his chest. “Since when are you such a prude, Harry Styles?” Harry whispers to himself and shakes his head.

 

“Green Lydia! Where are you hiding? The world is drowning!” Louis runs around the house, trying to find Lydia who isn’t jumping around in excitement like yesterday but snuck off to hide out somewhere in Harry’s massive villa. “We need to do something! Do you remember uncle Zayn?” Louis shouts, “He can’t swim!”  
Louis is climbing up the stairs when one of the doors swings open and Lydia races down the corridor into Louis’ arms.   
“We gotta help Zayn!” She fistpumps in the air when Louis lifts her up onto his hip and gallops down the stairs into the living room, where Harry has piled up all the blankets he was able find around the house.

“We gonna build another Noah’s ark, pumpkin!” Harry announces excitedly. “But dada, blankets are not even waterproof!” She stamps her foot and puts her little hand on her hips. Harry feels all hot and cold suddenly. Dada. Dada.   
She had called him dada!

“Aren’t you Green Lydia? Fixing up those blankets shouldn’t be a problem, should it?” Louis must have sensed Harry’s shock and jumps in right away. When he guides Lydia to pick up the first blanket and throw it over a tipped over a chair, he cracks a smile at Harry who’s still frozen in shock. “Everything is going to be fine,” he mouths, before turning back around and picking up another blanket, throwing it over Lydia’s head and screeching, “Help! There is a ghost on our ship!” Harry just manages to rush over and catch her, before she before she topples over from laughter.

 

That night, after Harry and Louis put an exhausted Lydia to bed, they clean up the living room. “How do you even have this many blankets?” Louis wonders, folding them and piling them up.  
“I just like it cuddly,” Harry grins and puts the chairs back around the dining table.   
“Pile up all your pillows in your bed, sink in, dream and drift into a world where you and I are not prisoners of our own bodies. Just weightless souls.” Louis sings softly, his voice a little raspy from cheering for Lydia when they played tag in Lydia’s Ark.   
Harry’s face burns from embarrassment. Since when does he get embarrassed so easily? He awkwardly clears his throat, “Oh so you do know my band?”   
A faint smile plays about Louis’ lips, “Sure. Weightless Souls and Lunar Rocks are my favourite. I actually had to lend Zayn all my Escape Velocity CDs when he first got invited to your show. Your friendship is really all thanks to me,” he grins with a winning smile and carries the stock of blankets into the room Harry declared as his storage room.

“You took this job as a groupie thing then?” Harry suggestively waggles his eyebrows at Louis, when he comes back.

“Absolutely! But since you don’t actually have a canopy bed, I’m reconsidering,” Louis jokes back.   
And if Harry thinks about coming all over Louis’ delicate collarbones and his It is what it is tattoo, (which had been peeking out of his scoop neck all day) while having a wank that night, no one needs to know.

 

*

 

“You lazy sods! Thought you were going to come by every night to keep me updated!” Harry greets his band the next day. With Louis and Lydia in tow he stumbles into Niall’s arms.   
Niall just laughs. “White lies are no crime, Styles!” he claps him on the back before turning towards Louis and Lydia, “Oy, look who we have here. The little princess is visiting!”

“I’m no princess, uncle Niall! I’m a Green Lantern!” She shows him the green ring Louis bought for her yesterday when he went for a run to Tescos to buy milk and coco pops - a real superhero’s meal.   
“Oh oh, I better be careful then!”, Niall smirks and turns to Louis, “Hi, you must be Louis.”   
“Correct,” Louis takes Niall’s hand and shakes it, “‘s nice to meet you.” Liam and Josh also introduce themselves to Louis, starting to chat away about the premier league matches from last night until Harry softly pushes Louis and Lydia towards the sofa, tucks a pair of earphones over Lydia’s head and asks the boys to show him what they’ve been doing the last few days.

They finally have the basic harmonies for their first two songs and Harry really couldn’t be happier with how the last two days have turned out. Louis is wonderful and he now has time to go back to work and feel inspired. He is beaming when he sees Louis and Lydia off after an hour. He promises Louis not to leave his phone out of sight, just in case.   
“I can do it, Harry. Don’t worry,” Louis reassures him, lifts Lydia onto his hips and makes her wave. “Bye bye, dada!” she shouts and Harry is grinning so hard, his face is feels like it’s about to split into two. He doesn’t miss the smug grins on Niall’s and Liam’s faces. “Shush, back to work,” he claps his hands and swings the guitar strap over his shoulders.

 

*

 

It’s been two weeks of blanket forts, cornflakes, and far too many dirty clothes in the washing machine, and it’s been two weeks of a very happy Lydia. When Harry had gone to see Dr. Wright with her last Thursday, the therapist had  immediately sensed the change as well. “Lydia loves Louis,” he had assured Harry.

And it is not only Lydia who feels comfortable in Louis’ presence - Harry feels like he has made a friend. Some nights when Harry gets home, Louis is sitting at the dining table, typing away on his laptop, with stacks of books piled up around him. Harry then slips into Lydia’s bedroom and checks on her one last time, before pouring glasses of wine for him and Louis. It’s cosy and Harry admires that Louis still is able to work on his dissertation after such a hard day of work.   
“Doesn’t really feel like work, you know?”, Louis says, sipping at his wine and shutting his computer down. Harry doesn’t take him for a wine drinker and he is probably right, but Louis refuses the beer he offers him.   
“Wine is sophisticated, right? I need sophisticated.”  
Harry laughs so loudly that he has to press his hand to his mouth, afraid to wake Lydia up. Drawing circles on the table with his fingertips, Harry asks, “What are you gonna do once you’ve got your Master’s degree?”

Louis licks his lips, “Well, I’m actually currently applying to two PR agencies here in London. We’ll see how it goes. Otherwise I might move back to Manchester- my old boss there kind of implied that I can always come back.”

“Oh, you did an internship in Manchester then?” Over the past two weeks, Harry has got to know a little bit about Louis. He knows that he is in uni for his MA of Media Studies, was born and raised in Doncaster and loves his comics just as much as his Vans collection.

“Yeah, after my Bachelor’s I went back north for half a year. Think my mum appreciated me visiting every second weekend quite a lot.” Louis puts his laptop into its sleeve. “Yeah, my mum still moans about me basically taking off to big scary London at sixteen. But I guess that’s me in ten, fifteen years,” Harry almost feels old all of a sudden. A year ago, whenever someone asked him where he saw himself in ten years, he just about tripped over his own tongue, having no clue whatsoever.  
Louis smiles at him softly, “Just so you know, you’re doing a wonderful job and you should be proud.”  
Harry can feel the blush creeping up his neck yet again, so he mumbles, “Thank you. And you too. She really loves you.”

They drink their wine in silence for a moment until Louis awkwardly clears his throat, nervously running his fingertips up the stem of his glass, “I don’t mean to interfere but is there anyone in the picture for you? Like you know, maybe a female influence could be great for Lydia, too.”   
Harry frowns in confusion, “Uhh Louis, I thought you knew that I’m gay?”  
Louis’ lips go slack and his eyebrows raise in surprise, “Oh! I mean I didn’t wanna assume or anything.” He looks down at his almost empty glass and downs the last sip. “Good to know you don’t read gossip mags though,” Harry grins and adds, “But to answer your question, no, there isn’t anyone really at the moment and I don’t feel like it’s an option for me right now. With everything going on.”   
Louis’ eyebrows furrow at that and an unreadable expression spreads across his face, “Yeah. Right.”

 

It takes Harry completely by surprise when Louis asks him, on Wednesday night, if he could take 2 days off for a “family matter”. He had sensed that things between them have been a bit awkward since they discussed future plans over a glass of wine, and Harry can’t really pinpoint why Louis seems so distant, but he doesn’t ask any questions and just says, “Yeah of course, Lou. I can ask Perrie and bring Lydia to the studio a little bit, so that should be fine.” Louis just thanks him and leaves with a “see you on Monday then.”

Four days without Louis.  
Harry didn't realise just how slowly those four days would pass. On Saturday, he's out with Niall and already on his third pint, after Zayn and Perrie had convinced him to let them babysit Lydia yet again.

“I’m just really confused. We got along really well. And Lydia obviously adores him, like scarily so. I felt he felt the same way. They joked around, skipped rope in the garden and he even said that he pinned one of Lydia’s drawings above his bed. And like, we had a connection too, you know? Why is he giving me the cold shoulder now?” Harry is a little tipsy. It has been way too long since he has gone out for a few drinks and now he has become a light-weight. His life, really.

“Harry, you don’t actually know what this family matter is. Maybe he had known for a few days and whatever he’s dealing with, it doesn’t even necessarily have anything to do with you? I’m sure he still likes you. Honestly, the way you looked at each other at the studio. I’m not trying to imply anything here, but I definitely am,” Niall raises two fingers at the bartender to order another round. It’s brought to them immediately - just one of the perks of being famous.  
Harry takes a big slurp of his pint and twists his ring a few times, immersed in his thoughts. He looks back up at Niall and whispers, “I really like him. Like like him. It’s terrible.”

“Why is it terrible? He’s a nice guy. There’s nothing wrong with you, finally, you know...getting some again. It’s been a while,” Niall says gently and that is what destroys Harry. Of course Niall would see it like that - as if every guy he ever meets, would want him. “And don’t argue with me. Louis likes you. I can feel it in my bones - and those are one hundred percent Irish and honest,” Niall tells him firmly, when Harry opens his mouth to protest.   
“But -” Harry stammers, “-but I can’t fall in love with Lydia’s nanny!”   
Niall huffs, amused. “Mate, I know you. It’s probably too late already. Besides, doesn’t Louis finish uni in August? He’s going to go job hunting then, and you’re going to need another nanny anyway,” he adds.   
Harry rests his head on the table, and buries his face in his folded arms. “Oh god.”   
“Just focus on the writing, H. Pour it all in!” Niall pats his head, “Just wait and see what happens.”

They have another three pints after that, and Harry is pretty sloshed when he lets Niall guide him through the back entrance, where he’s picked up by one of the label’s drivers. It’s best that he avoids getting papped while drunk off his face. Louis might read the gossip mags after all.

 

Harry is relieved when Louis is finally back on Monday. Things continue to be a bit awkward throughout the whole week, since Louis doesn’t talk about what was up with his family and Harry doesn’t dare to ask him. They still chat a bit every night but Harry doesn’t open another bottle of wine for them. He is dead tired from writing song after song; it’s actually ridiculous how a wall has broken down for him since he has admitted to liking Louis, not only to Niall, but also to himself. Sometimes (okay most of the time) he really can’t help himself but watch Louis’ curvy body bend over to pick up Lydia’s toys, his soft eyes following Lydia and his thin rosy lips tugging up into a disarming smile. Harry prays that Louis will never find out that he’s Harry’s secret muse. That would be embarrassing.

Finally, on Friday when Harry comes home really late - he has been so absorbed by all the lyrics and chords circling through his mind that he totally forgot about the time - he finds Louis fast asleep on the sofa. His laptop is still sitting open on the coffee table, so Harry quickly saves all changes and shuts the computer down. He goes to get a blanket from the storage room and just when Harry puts it over Louis’ sleepy body, Louis awakes with a start. Suddenly, their faces are just mere centimeters apart and Harry can feel his heart beating faster. Is it him who is panting so loudly? His eyes drop to Louis’ lips, bitten and chapped yet so arousing. There is a second where Harry thinks that Louis is about to kiss him and if he hadn’t been so taken by surprise, he might have gone for it himself, but then the moment is gone and Louis lets his head drop back onto the sofa, with his cheeks flushing.

“You wanna stay in the guestroom tonight, Lou?” Harry asks softly and Louis just nods, “Yeah, I think that would be for the best.”

 

Louis falls asleep at Harry’s again the next Wednesday and the Monday following. On Tuesday, Harry finds him sound asleep on the sofa yet again, even though it’s only 11 pm. He decides to wake him up, softly jostling his shoulder, “Louis, are you doing this on purpose or don’t I pay you enough?” He is actually a little worried that Lydia wears Louis out too much - if Louis writes a shitty Master’s thesis, it will be all his fault. But then he sees a sheepish smile crossing Louis’ face as soon as he has fully woken up.

“Uh, maybe? Not because you don’t pay me enough,” he hurries to add, “It’s just a little more quiet here for me to write, you know? My place has people banging on the walls and playing punk music in the middle of the night.”

“Oh Louis,” Harry sighs and actually takes Louis’ tiny hands into his big ones, “You should have just asked. Of course you can stay here for a while. I’ve got like three guest rooms and you’re here all the time anyway. You definitely should bring some more clothes over tomorrow.” Louis’ eyebrows rise in surprise and awe, and the next thing Harry knows, Louis is throwing himself at him, pressing his lips to Harry’s in frenzy. Before Harry’s brain can process what is happening, Louis’ hands find the nape of his neck and he tangles his fingertips into Harry’s curls. Louis softly scratches his scalp, making Harry moan into his mouth before Harry can finally start kissing him back. He lets his tongue slowly slide into Louis’ opening mouth, feeling his jeans tighten when Louis climbs into his lap and desperately sucks on Harry’s tongue. “Wanted this for so long,” Louis pants out, grinding down onto Harry’s crotch.  
“So you are a groupie,” Harry teases, playing with the hem of Louis’ shirt.   
“Shut up!” Louis murmurs and without further ado he strips off his shirt. Harry lets his eyes roam over Louis’ toned chest. Spoilt for choice in what to lick first, Harry’s eyes absorb the dip of Louis’ collarbones, the elegantly curved letters inked high on his chest and the pair of perky nipples.   
“Make me!” And Harry could swear that he’s never been such a cliché - well, until now. He kisses along Louis’ collarbones and licks at Louis’ nipples, until Louis takes his head between both hands and forces their mouths back together. They undress each other, kissing frantically.   
“Race you to my bedroom,” Harry gasps in between kisses once they’ve both stripped down to their boxers.

They stomp up the stairs, completely forgetting about Lydia trying to sleep, and crash onto Harry’s bed.   
“Oh this is actually much better than a canopy!” Louis exclaims and drags Harry over his body, bracketing him with his legs and rutting up into him.   
“What do you want?” Harry nibbles at Louis’ ear. He can feel Louis’ fingers slipping under his waistband.  
“Can I suck you off?” Louis whispers and then takes Harry’s erect cock out of his boxers.

“Yes please,” Harry manages to whimper, before Louis rolls him over and kneels in front of his dick, licking his lips.

The moonlight filters softly through the half drawn curtains, lighting up Louis’ face when he dives down on Harry, sucking at the head of cock. Harry throws his head back onto the duvet, his fingers blindly searching for Louis’ head and then gripping at his hair when Louis opens his mouth further. Harry strokes Louis’ soft hair while he eagerly bops his head, letting Harry’s cock hit the back of his throat.   
“Oh god,” Harry groans.  
Louis licks along the thick vein, pre-cum smearing onto his cheekbone. Louis then grips the shaft with his left hand, tugging slowly while continuing to eagerly suck on the rest of Harry’s cock. Seconds later, Harry feels a hot flush rushing through his body and pulls warningly on Louis’ hair, but Louis stays put and Harry comes down his throat with an exhausted moan.   
“Jesus,” he says breathlessly, taking in the picture Louis offers him. His sweaty fringe clings to his forehead and his eyes are still piercing blue but a shade more electric, more intense.  Smirking, Louis licks the last drops of come off his lips and Harry can see his Adam’s apple move when he swallows.

“That was literally mind-blowing,” Harry says, kissing Louis thoroughly. He doesn’t mind tasting himself on Louis’ tongue. Before Louis can respond, Harry rolls him over, strips off his boxers in one go and throws them across the room. Harry may not have given any blow jobs in months but based on how quickly Louis comes into his mouth, squirting onto his cheek as well, Harry hasn’t forgotten how to move his tongue just right to turn someone into a quivering mess, desperately begging for him to start sucking. Once it’s over, they lie breathing heavily next to one another on the duvet, and they can’t stop smiling.   
“That was great,” Louis pants out, letting Harry tug him into his side as he burrows his head into Harry’s chest. Barely minutes later, they both fall fast asleep.

 

“Did you watch a film last night?” Lydia asks curiously the next morning.  
Louis sets down a tray with three bowls of cereal, a cup of coffee for Harry and two mugs of tea for himself and Lydia, “No. Why?”   
Lydia climbs up on her chair, “There were these noises last night. I don’t know!”  
Harry who is scrolling through his emails on his phone looks up in horror, but Louis just places Lydia’s cereal bowl in front her already and says smoothly, “Oh that. Harry just had a splinter in his finger and we needed to run upstairs to find tweezers.”   
Lydia immediately turns to Harry who is flushing all over the place. “Are you alright now, dada? Shall I kiss it better?” she asks sweetly.  
“Thank you, darling. But dada is all better now. Louis took good care of me,” he smiles bashfully and avoids looking at Louis until Lydia has finished up her breakfast and races upstairs to get dressed.

Then they break out into light laughter; Louis is giggling so hard that he spills a little tea. “We’d better be more quiet next time,” Harry smirks.  
“Next time?” Louis asks hopefully.   
“Yeah, I mean - if you want to,” Harry steps forwards to put his hands on Louis’ hips and drags them towards his own. Complying, Louis moves forwards, then takes both of Harry’s hands into his. “Yes, yes. Of course I do- I mean, are you sure?” He bites nervously on his lower lip, waiting for Harry to look at him and when he does, they feel like an invisible rope is tied between them, keeping them in place.

“Louis,” Harry murmurs. “I haven’t had sex in almost a year. I didn’t even look at anybody like that until I met you. You’re just really lovely and if you want to try, then so do I.”   
A beatific smile flits across Louis’ face, “Better get a babysitter for Friday night then, because we are going on a date!”

The kiss they share isn’t as desperate as the one last night. It’s like a boat on a calm sea, rocking back and forth with the waves as they come and go. Louis is about to throw his arms around Harry’s neck to deepen the kiss when he hears a tiny sound behind them. They look down at a wildly smiling Lydia who has run across the room. She shoves herself in between their bodies, happily tugging at their jumpers until she’s got their full attention.

“Can we got the zoo now?”

 

***

 

There is a knock on his door and second later, a blonde head pops into the doorway. “Harry, we’re up in five!” Niall informs him and then he’s gone again. It’s the first night of their UK tour for Celestial Bodies and Harry can feel the adrenaline and excitement pounding through his veins. He can faintly hear the fans’ voices and stomping feet filling up the O2.

“You got the headphones, yeah?” Harry asks Louis one last time.   
“Yes of course. See?” Louis pulls out a pair of green headphones and pulls them over Lydia’s ears. “Can you hear me, darling?” He fake shouts playfully and she laughs back hysterically, “I can’t hear you, Loulou!”   
With a smirk on his face, Louis takes them off again and bops her nose, “You ready to see your dada on the big stage?”   
“Yes!” she fistpumps in the air and the three of them fall into comfortable laughter.

Normally Harry would be a nervous wreck before a show, especially at the O2 and with a whole album of brand new songs to perform. He would scroll through his twitter mentions for god knows how long if it weren’t for Louis and Lydia. With them everything just feels right.   
The next two months will be tough, with Harry touring the UK and Ireland and then taking off to the US to play a month’s worth of shows over there. When Louis was hired by a PR agency based in London, right after he had gotten his diploma, they’d spent days looking for the right nanny and found a perfect match in Sarah. Lydia, the tough little fighter she is, had let her into her heart and then there was no way escaping it anymore. First, Sarah and Lydia would go on tour with Harry, all the way up to the Dublin shows. Then, when Harry’s plane takes off for JFK, Lydia and Sarah would spend some time at Harry’s mum’s house. Louis wishes he could have just taken her in but it is safer to leave her with a legal guardian and he will definitely be driving up north more often as long as Lydia is in Holmes Chapel.

“Maybe someday she can just stay with you and the both of you can go on tour with me for a little while,” Harry whispers into Louis’ neck when they hug one last time before there is another hurried knock on the door.   
“Yeah, I’d like that,” Louis smiles and presses another kiss to Harry’s lips. “Wish dada good luck, Lydia.”   
He lifts her up and lets her kiss Harry on the cheek, “You’ll be great, dada!”   
“Yes, you’ll be the greatest,” Louis emphasises. Harry smirks at them a last time before they all rush out the door. Louis and Lydia stand right next to the stage as Harry climbs the stairs to welcome the thrilled masses. Hurriedly Louis puts on Lydia’s headphones, seconds before the first guitar riff echoes through the arena.

The band opens up with Steaks, Shakes and Pancakes and the audience roars. The atmosphere is electric. Lydia watches the swirling lights with her mouth wide open, clapping excitedly to the beat of the music. Louis lifts her up onto his shoulders during Titanic for the first time and sways along with the ocean of glow-sticks flashing from all corners of the arena. Louis hadn’t actually seen the set list beforehand because Harry was so secretive about it. For a whole month, Louis had offered him more sexual favors than any fan on Harry’s twitter timeline, but Harry had flat out refused to give anything away.

It still takes him completely by surprise when Harry stops between songs and asks the audience to be as quiet as possible for the next song.“This is actually a song that isn’t on the album. I wrote this just about a month ago when Celestial Bodies was already hitting the stores. This is for you, you know who you are. This is Summer Solstice.” With that Harry turns around to set his guitar aside. He catches Louis’ eyes, smiling from ear to ear, before turning back to his microphone.   
Louis can’t believe this is happening. “One song, okay?” Louis says, as he takes Lydia’s earphones off and she exclaims excitedly, “Is he singing Summer Something now?” Before Louis can ask her how she knows about that, Harry’s raspy voice fills the O2, soft guitar chords and a light bass accompanying the entrancing melody.

 

_It’s been a skyless spring when I met you_

_The first thing I noticed were your eyes, superman-blue_

_No socks, cereal box, blanket forts rock_

_And when I saw you swing_

_it was no longer spring_

_My world was spinning_

_too fast,_ _too far_

_too soon_

_until my axis bent for you_

_My summer solstice_

_When my days were dark and drained_

_my sorrows keeping me in chains_

_you broke through my wall_

_playing hide and seek in the hall_

_My-my summer summer solstice_

_Your are my longest day of summer_

_a begonia in Mid-November_

_a day to always remember_

_You are my summer solstice_

_My summer summer solstice_

 

*** The End ***

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to my lovely beta Eva (neverhaveieva on tumblr) !! Thank you for all your patience and suggestions and just everything. You are lovely xx


End file.
